SIDDHI webinar series was launched by IIT Madras on August 14, 2020 to commemorate the 150th birth anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi. SIDDHI stands for Self-reliant India: Discussions and Dialogues for Humane Innovations. Gandhi emphasized swaraj - self-reliance, self-sufficiency, social development, self-governance, and inclusive, equitable and sustainable development of all sections of India. SIDDHI is an initiative of the Office of Global Engagement, IIT Madras.
Gandhi's Khadi Movement was also a step towards Gandhi''s concept of Swarajya or self-governance. The promotion of Khadi by Gandhi was aimed at achieving self-sufficiency and was also aimed at promoting indigenous cottage industries.
The Gandhian approach towards inclusive and sustainable development was in many ways a precursor to Sustainable Development Goals (SDG's).
The NITI Aayog, the policy think tank of the Government of India, emphasizes a New India that is clean (swaccha), healthy (swastha), educated (shikshit), prosperous (sampanna), capable and self-sufficient (saksham), and secure (surakshit) India.
SIDDHI is a collaborative endeavour with faculty, researchers, students involved with projects sponsored by Government of India under
SPARC, VAJRA and socially relevant projects approved by the Government of India such as Unnat Bharat Abhiyan and New India Internship.
Office of Global Engagement, IIT Madras
Email: deange@iitm.ac.in
